Subaru Impreza Fender

Troubleshoot Subaru Impreza Fender Troubles

Driving the stylish Subaru Impreza is always a pleasure. Its compact body gives you the impression that you can make your car a zippy one. This makes your precious Impreza prone to minor fender benders. Don't sweat. If the damages are not too major, you can easily fix them yourself. Here are some tips on how you can keep yourself from spending hard-earned cash on costly Subaru Impreza fender repairs.

Major fender dent

If you find a big dent on your fender then prepare for an afternoon with your car. If the dent is a little bigger, then you would have to detach the fender from the body so you can manipulate it. You would need a jack, jack stands, lug wrench, wrench, screw driver, hand-held suction cup, a hammer, and vice-grip pliers. Remove parts that are attached to the fender then detach it from the vehicle. Use the suction cup to pull on the dent outward. Then, hammer-pound the dent using gentle taps, while supporting the other side with a dolly. If there are bent parts on the fender, you can use the vice-grip pliers to bend it back into place.

Minor fender dent

If the dent is small enough then you can fix it without removing the fender from the body of the vehicle. Use vice-grip pliers to gently pull on the bent part of the dent until it's more or less straightened. Sand the affected area using 180-grit sandpaper to remove all trace of paint. Fill the dent with body filler until it's higher than the fender plane using a plastic squeegee. Leave to harden and dry for two hours. Then, smooth and even it out with a 220-grit sandpaper.

Chipped or scratched paint

After fixing the dent, place masking tape and paper around the sanded area. Use a microfiber rag to wipe wax and grease remover over it. Then, apply a thick coat of primer using a spray. Let it dry for half an hour then smooth it out with 300-grit sandpaper. Wipe it down with wax and grease remover again, and then spray paint three thin coats of paint. Give 15 minutes intervals in between coats, to let the paint to dry. Finish off with three coats of clear paint using the same procedure. Finally, let the area dry for 24 hours before driving the vehicle.

Things to remember

Use a small hammer for small dents, and a bigger hammer for the bigger dents. When pulling on the bent part with vice-grip pliers, avoid over-pulling and raising it above the surrounding surface. Use the same paint color on the repaired area; exact info is found on the driver's side door.

Like any vehicle owner, you have to accept that at some point of your car's life, you will face some fender repairs. Damaging the fender is the most common result of collisions, thus the popular term "fender-bender". The fenders are car panels found on the sides and front of the doors. They protect the body of the car and its surroundings from mud and debris flying from the spinning wheels. Because of its role, it is constantly in harm's way. Here are some tips on how to care for your Subaru Impreza fender.

Protect

It sound ironic, yes, but it is practical. The fender is still part of your vehicle, thus not protecting it will result to costly repairs. Although you can always opt to fix your vehicle yourself, prevention is still better than cure. Nowadays, you can find hundreds of protective gear for your vehicle, a good sample is the fender trim. The fender trim is attached to the lowest part of your fender using an adhesive. It gives your fender a chance against the elements it's fighting and prevents premature wear and damage. This added gear not only prolongs your fender's service life, it looks cool too!

Clean

Washing your car is quick, but washing it properly takes a bit more time, yet still quite easy. Although fenders are visible and are given ample attention, its undersides have a tendency to be overlooked. A good tip is, to inspect the underside of the fenders when washing, to make sure you don't leave on grime accidentally. Dried grime eventually causes rust that can affect other parts other than the fender so wash your fenders thoroughly and regularly.

Wax

To protect your Subaru Impreza fender, you need to apply high -quality wax periodically. The wax serves as your paint's protective coat as well as enhancer. The wax keeps the rust away by keeping the moisture at bay. So make sure you apply wax after cleaning the fenders.

Prevent rust

Rust on fenders is very common. However, not only is rust nasty to look at, but it is also hazardous to your car's health. Once rust begins, there is no stopping it from eating away the rest of the metal parts of your car. However, you can slow it down. If you do find rust on your fender, remove it at once. Rust begins with nicks and cracks on the fender so be vigilant. Repair any dent and paint chip and you should be fine.